Game apparatus



P. D. RIORDAN.

GAME APPARATUS. APPLICATION mzb JUNE 25. 1920.

Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

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PATRICK D. RIORDAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

GAME APPARATUS.

Application filed June 25,

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, PATRICK D. RIonnAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Man hattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Game Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to provide by means of a series of regular geometrical figures outlined, preferably, in the national colors of a designated country, or territory, and representing, as in the present case, the States, foreign possessions, Presidential electoral system and the central Government of the United States; by means of specially devised mechanical devices and of a specially devised arrangement of the admission numbers of the several States in a definite order of numerical sequence-an interesting game of pastime, instructive in its geometrical illustrations of circles, radii, arcs, and sectors of concentric circles; as well as in its political and historical information and in the patriotic motive of its color scheme.

Additional objects of the invention will appear in the following specification in which the preferred form of my invention is described.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in the two figures of the drawings, Figure 1 of which being a plan view illustrating my invention, and Figure 2 being a sectoinal elevation showing the construction of the parts.

The geometrical figures comprise some fifty-six sectors of three rings formed by 'about five pairs of concentric circles. the

arcs ofthe sectors forming the ends of the sectors, while the radical dividing lines of the sectors form their lateral boundaries. Of these fifty-six sectors forty-eight are inscribed in the hereinafter described Wheel or disk of the apparatus and represent and bear the names, of the present fortyeight States ofthe Union; the circle 11 of the disk 5 represents the Vhite House and the seat of national government, and contains a star whose angles represent the important Government departments. ,Vithin the circle 11 there is a space l1 having a star 11 the arms or pointers 11 of which are numbered 1 to 8 and are referred to as cabinet numbers, there being one arm or pointer for each cabinet department. These cabinet numbers serve like state numbers in playing Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. '7, 1922. 1920. Serial No. 391,578.

the game. The

sixteen sectors 18 lying between the two inner pairs of alternate red and blue concentric circles 22 and 26 and bounded laterally by the radial line 15 and containing the thirteen original States or colonies, are together designated the revolutionary circle; the remaining thirtytwo sections 1a of the wheel, lying between the second and third pairs of alternate red and blue concentric circles 23 and 24: and bounded laterally by the radial line 10, represent the evolution of the thirteen original colonies to the present area and magnificence of the Union, and is therefor-(a des ignated the revolutionary circle; the 8 sectors, or sections 25, lying between the alternate red and blue concentric circles 27 and 28 in the horizontal border of the plate. and bounded laterally by the radial line 17, hereinafter described, are similarly bounded in the national colors and contain the names of the foreign possessions of the United States in the numerical order of their acquisition and are collectively designated the territorial circle.

The mechanical devices of the game comprise a circular base, or plate 8, having an upwardly projecting side wall 9 terminating in an outwardly projecting horizontal border 10, an upwardly projecting bearing 7 afiixed at about the centre of the bottom of the plate; a circular wheel or disk 5 which fits loosely into the circular opening at the top of the plate. and is supported at its centerby a pivot 6 adjustable therein and insertable in said bearing; the pivot is threaded at its top, a loose washer 6 is placed over the top of the pivot 6 and over the disk for the purpose of holding down the said disk and any printed material that may be placed thereon, upon a similar washer firmly affixed to the pivot beneath-the disk. This mechanical device, may of course. be simplified by soldering the pivot to a metal disk, but since it is proposed to construct the disk of aluminum which resists soldering, some such mechanical device becomes necessary. This aluminum disk, however, pres cuts, by its gray color, an argument for adapting a southern gray as an appropriate unifying background to the red and blue colors of the Union. A threaded tube .or member 12, is now firmly turned over the threaded top of the pivot and over the loose washer and becomes the direct means, of rotating the disk, and may be put away Into veni'ence of'the players.

pin 19 which is slidably disposed in a verti cal slot 20 in the side wall 9, it being possible to move the roller 18 into engagement with the bottom ofthe disk 5 by pushing up wardly the button 21 which is integral with the pin. This brake may be operated by the president on his own initiative or on the request of one of the other players. The brake effect may also be produced by firmly inserting the end of a writing pencil into the open threaded member 12.

A. description of myspecially devised arrangement of the State admission numbers previously referred to, follows The usual abbreviations of 'the names of the several States are inscribed at the heads of the forty-eight Statesor sectors, into which the tinguish them from the State numbers, and are 1nscr1bed 1n the middle or each section. I

The State numbers are reproduced in the territorlal sections of the horizontal border of the plate in the following order: the

State numbers from one to twenty-four, in direct consecutive order, commencing at section one and finishing at section-eight; the odd State numbers from twenty-five to forty-seven are similarly entered in consecutive order, always only one number in every section, commencing again at section one but ending at section four; theeven numbers fromtwenty-siX to forty-eight are entered in similar consecutive order commencing at section fiveand again finishing at section eight. All these State numbers 7 are finally, arranged in twocolumns in each of the territorial sections in the order of their magnltude and tor the r 'Members'of the family or social circle gather around a table upon which tlllS' Presidential. game isplaced. The players provide a'tally sheet, choose a president for the first genre and every player selects a terr torial section 25 at WlllCll to ')lay. The

president or some other person enters at the top of the tally sheet the'na m'es or .initials of the players and the numbers Off iillG-SGC- tionsfat whiclrt'hcyplay, 'A long or a short is agreedjupon. long game being mental contwelve rounds of the wheel, ashort game being six rounds of the wheel, a. round of the wheel consistingxof its rotation from the time it is turned and let go to the time it stops. The stake to be playedfor is the presidency of the next following game. The

players may impersonate candidates for 'a;

public office such as the Presidency, in which case the lmpersonatlon 1s wrltten under their names in the tally sheet. All having been thus prepared forthe game the presidentwho, by the way, settles all disputes between the playerstu rns the wheel and whenever its rotation is undesirably prolonged he, with the consent of the players, applies the brake sufiiciently to gradually retard but'not to abruptly stop the rotation be foundthat the radial boundary lines 17 of the territorial sections are not in line Witlithe red radial lines 15 of the disk 5. It shall then be the immediate duty of the president to effect such an alignment by turning the disk 5' to the right, so that the boundary lines 17 of his section are in a straight line with the next red. boundary line 15. ,Whenever a radial line 1'7 aligns with one of the radial lines 16, but not with one of the radial lines 15. the wheel shall be turned to the right to effect the required alignment, This action brings six States of the wheel. When the wheel stops it may i fullyinside the alignment thus effected, and 7 gives each player six chances font: of the forty-eight 1n the game. 'Every'player' now quickly memorizes the six State numbers opposite his territorial section 25 and at once scans the numbers in his section in search of numbers like the memorized State numbers. It will be found, however, that not more tha'n'one of the State numbers on the disk 5 will agree-with any of the numbers in any territorial section. This singular condition is secured by a definite overlappingof the final States of the revolutionary circle, (Kentucky and Tennessee), bythe first States of the evolutionary circle, (Ohio, Indiana, Louisiana and Mississippi). The players are'creditedfin the tally sheet with fifty points, or 'electoralyotes, for every number in their territorial sections 25that'agrecs witha'State number in any of six sectorsor" disk 5. So, should a State number on tlie avlieel agree also with the players section numberjhe is similarly credited with fifty more points, or electoral votes. The section numbers oftheplate, 1,

lucky numbers? and greatlylenhance in:

terest injthe game. So, thevalue of fifty 2,3,4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, aretheretore designated tion 25 of the plate which 'liasailike num 'based on rthe present electoralfv'otej'of the iso' State of New York-torty-oightwhich, for convenience sake is set down in round numbers at fifty. When the number of rounds constituting the length of the game agreed upon have been played the tally sheets of the players are added up and the player having the highest total or" votes is the winner of the game and is thus elected to the presidency of the next game. Should any totals tie the winner may be decided by the best two out of three rounds. After the president starts a game with the first round of the disk 5 every player plays the disk 5 in turn for one round-tron1 left to right.

Figure l of the accompanying drawings may be taken tor an illustration of a game. The player at territorial section one wins fifty votes with the corresponding plate and wheel numbers 17-17; the player at section two wins fifty votes with the corresponding plate and wheel numbers 2-2 and another li 'lfty votes with the lucky section and wheel luinibers Q2; the player at section three wins fifty votes with the plate and wheel numbers 3-3 and another fifty votes with lucky section and wheel numbers the player at section four wins with the corresponding numbers 3l3l; the player at five with 3338, while the players in sections six and seven lose, or fail to win, there being no corresponding numbers in their plate and wheel sections. The player in section eight also wins with the corresponding plate and disk numbers 48-48.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a game apparatus, a plate having a circular opening, and divided radially into sections on which are indicated the names of out-lying possessions of the United States, the dates when they were acquired by the United States, and numerals indicating the order of their acquisition. a disk rotatable in the opening and divided into a greater number of sections than the sections on the plate, so that a plurality of sectors on the disk may register with a single section on the plate, the names of the States oi the United States being indicated in the sectors on the disk with the dates when they entered V the Union, and numerals indicating the order of their admission, there being numerals in the sections on the plate similar to the numerals on the disk.

2. In a game apparatus, a plate having a circular opening and divided radially into sections on which are indicated the names of out-lying possessions of the United States,

the dates when they were acquired by the United States, and numerals indicating the order of their acquisition, and a disk rotatable in the opening divided into a greater number of sectors than the sections on the plate, so that a plurality of sectors on the disk may register with a single section on the plate, the names of the States of the United States being indicated in the sectors on the disk with tae dates when they entered the Union, and nume 'als indicating the order of their admission, there being numerals in the sections on the plate similar to the numerals on the disk, the numerals on the sections on the plate being arranged so that in the sequence when each number is indicated on a section on the plate the tol lowing numeral is indicated on another section on the plate.

3. A game apparatus of the character described, comprising a border or plate divided by lines into sections inscribed with figures and educative information concerning a given country or State, a disk rotating in an opening in the said plate and divided by straight and circular lines into sections rep resenting divisions of the said country or State and inscribed with figures like those on the plate and with educative information concerning the history and division of said country or State, there being an emblem shown in the disk and inscribed with. figures indicating govermental departments of said country or State, the said figures in the said emblem and in the said sections of said disk constituting factors in playing the game when they register in a given alignment with similar figures in the said plate or border.

at. In a game apparatus, a plate having a circular opening and divided radially into sections 011 which are indicated the names of out-lying possessions of the United States, the dates when they were acquired by the United States, and numerals indicating the order of their acquisition, and a disk rotatable in the opening divided by circular and radial lines into sectors, the names of the States of the United States being indicated in the sectors 011 the disk with the dates when they entered the Union, and numerals indicating the order of their admission, there being numerals in the section on the plate similar to the numerals on the disk.

5. In a game apparatus, a plate having a circular opening and divided radially into sections on which are indicated the names of out-lying possessions of the United States, the dates when they were acquired by the United States, and numerals indicating the order of their acquisition, and a disk rotatable in the opening divided by circular and radial lines into sectors, the names of the States of the United States being indicated on the disk with the dates when they enter the Union, and numerals indicating the order of their admission, there being numerals in the sections on the plate similar to the numerals on the disk, the numerals in the sections on the plate being so arranged that mi: means in the sequence when each numeral is indicated'on a section on the plate, the following numeral is indicated on another section on the plate. V

6. In a game apparatus, a plate having a circular opening and divided radially into sections on which are indicated the names of out-lying possessions of a country, the dates when they were acquired, and numerals indicating the order of their acquisition, and a disk rotatable in the opening divided into a greater number of sectors than the sections on the plate so that a plurality of sectors on the disk may register with a single section on plate, the names of the divisions of the country being indicatedin the sectors on thedisk, there being numerals on the sectors on the disk and similar numerals on the sections on the plate.

7 A game comprising a rotatable member and a non-rotatable surrounding member, spaces in both members outlined in the national colors of a given country, the. spaces in the rotatable member indicating the chief political divisions of said country and the approximate time oi: their establishment, the spaces in the non-rotatable member indicating the foreign possessions, or nationally related territories of the said country orotlier correlative information, consecutive numerals in the spaces of the rotatable member,

consecutive numerals in the spaces of the non-rotatable member, the consecutive numerals or" rotatable member being repeated in the spaces of the non-rotatable member in the following order: one-half of the numerals in direct consecutive order, the odd numerals of the remainingrone-halt also in direct consecutive order, the even numerals of the said remaining halt being-similarly repeated in consecutive order, said numerals being further arranged in columns in the spaces of said non-rotatable member in the order of their magnitude.

8. A game comprising a plurality of concentric rings divided into a number of detinite geometrical spaces, said spaces being numbered in consecutive order in the said rings, the inner rings being rotatable, the

outer ring being non-rotatable, the numbers ot' the spaces'in the two inner rings being repeated in definite columnar and rotational order in the spaces of the outer ring,'a plu rality of the numbered spaces of the inner rings registering in, alignment with the borders of the spaces of the outer ring, identical numbers appearing in both rotatable and non-rotatable spaces of the said alignment being the winning numbers 1n the game,

, PATRICK 'D. n oanan 

